I agree with the list above in regards to a good cheap ML'er. Although I think the Apex is of a bit higher quality than some of the others on the list.

6 of the 7 ML'ers I have are BPI products. I have no concerns over the quality of the spanish barrels on any of them. Why, because I did some testing to verify. I am the one who tried to blow up a Bobcat barrel to see what it would take. It takes more than I had the heart to put it through. I still use it for a fun plinker gun. Right now I am looking for an inline barrel to do some testing with. If any of you know where I can get a Hunterbolt/Magbolt or Optima barrel for cheap, I would appreciate a PM.

A gunsmith friendhas told me more than once that it is difficult to "blow up" a ML'er barrel unless you short start a projectile or load with smokeless. He's told me stories of nipples blown out (using smokeless) but no damage to the barrel. He's told me of loading a barrel 50% with powder 50% with PRB's and no damage to the barrel. He even told me of some guys that were using 100gr of BP and a PRB loaded into a piece of 1/2" electrical conduit pipe and it didn't "blow up" even after many shots. He has been working on BP guns for many years and has seen split barrels and the like but they all were the result of incorrect loading such as stated earlier.

Think about it. 150 years ago the barrels were made of cast iron or low quality (by todays standards) steel. Many of the mountain men would load heavy loads for bear, loads that we would call magnum or hotter today. I read somewhere where some would load 150gr or more of BP and double balls when they really wanted to hit something hard. The quality of the steel used in todays firearms far exceeds what was available back then yet we are still using loads that are similar to what they would use. This tells me that the amount of powder a ML'er can efficiently use hasn't changed all that much but we can safely say the quality of the barrels has improved. This means that the safety factor has also improved over the older barrels. What it doesn't mean, though, is that you can make mistakes in loading (short starting, etc.) and expect the barrel to survive. It doesn't matter what make of barrel it is, it can be "blown up" if it is loaded incorrectly. That includes the Savage.

I do not recommend that anyone exceed the max loads established by the manufacturer and do not recommend doing any proof testing unless you have taken the time and steps to do it in a safe manner.

That's my 2 and 1/2 cents, take from it what you will.